News is spreading that the New Zealand authorities, due to a decline in the incidence rate, have lifted a number of restrictions, including orgies with up to 25 participants. We decided to check if this is true.

Information about this distributed Russia Today TV channel in English (publication archive), after him the news was published by portals Ruposters, NewsFrol And other. Journalists referred to the words of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The news was widely spread on Facebook, but users' emotions were divided: some rejoiced for New Zealanders (“What great news from New Zealand! Maybe we should resume events, without which the entire industry of organizing celebrations is suffering? Otherwise, what kind of events does New Zealand hold”), others counted such a measure is inappropriate.

In New Zealand indeed introduced the so-called traffic light system. It provides three levels of coronavirus threat - red, yellow and green. Depending on the color, meetings with different numbers of participants are allowed.

Video interview with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, quoted by Russia Today, it turned out December 3. In it, the Prime Minister does announce Covid relief, but does not mention any orgies. When asked by a journalist whether the relaxation will apply to meetings arranged on Tinder by previously unknown people, the Prime Minister answers in the affirmative. Here's what she says verbatim: “I can confirm that Tinder dating is possible again. Meetings between Tinder users are, of course, not specified separately in the traffic light system, but any gatherings of up to 25 people are allowed.” Russia Today journalists simply added information about orgies on their own.

Thus, New Zealand has indeed allowed any gatherings of up to 25 people. There was no talk of any separate permission for orgies; this information in the Russia Today headline was arbitrarily added by the media itself.